AMPK is a serine-threonine kinase, which is activated by AMP, and has three subunits, α, β and γ. In each subunit, there exist multiple isoforms (α1, α2, β1, β2, γ1, γ2 and γ3).
AMPK is involved in various physiological functions, such as suppression of gluconeogenesis and inhibition of fatty acid synthesis in liver and incorporation of sugars and an increase in fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscles, as an energy sensor in living organisms, and has attracted attention as a target molecule of a therapeutic agent for diabetes. Therefore, an AMPK activator is expected to be effective in the treatment of diabetes as an insulin resistance improving drug, which has an insulin independent hypoglycemic effect and a lipid improving effect (Non-Patent Document 1).
Patent Documents 1 to 15, and 26 disclose a variety of compounds having an AMPK activating effect. However, heterocyclic derivatives like the compounds of the present invention are not disclosed in any of the documents.
Patent Document 7 discloses the compounds shown below.

Patent Documents 16 and 17 describe the compounds shown below, as compounds useful for diabetes, but do not provide a description of AMPK activating effects.

Patent Document 18 describes the compounds shown below, as compounds useful for obesity, but does not provide a description of AMPK activating effects.

Patent Documents 18 and 19 describe, as compounds useful for obesity, compounds in which unsubstituted ethylsulfonyl is present at position 5 of the benzimidazole ring, such as the compounds shown below, but do not provide a description of AMPK activating effects.

Patent Document 20 describes the compounds shown below, as compounds useful for cancers, but does not provide a description of AMPK activating effects.

Patent Document 21 describes the compound shown below, as compounds useful for herbicides, but does not provide a description of AMPK activating effects.

The compound shown below is hit by searching structures on SciFinder (online database), but there is no literature information and the AMPK activating effect of the compound is not described.
